Reinventing Myself – July 26, 2011

A new blog… a new me.  What is this all about?  I am reinventing myself.

I welcome change but what am I changing to?  As much as I would like to believe that I am all about the process, I think that I am all about the outcome.  Strangely, by doing this, I would attempt to anticipate what will be versus accepting what is and what could be.

Reinventing myself means to take risks, to try something new, and to take a leap of faith.  To accept change means to embrace these uncertainties and let go of all the fears and presumptions of what would be.  Fear can be a driving force that adheres to the status quo.

If it ain’t broke, why fix it?  Why not?  Doing something for 20 years and not change because “it works” is a lie that we tell ourselves.  I am not referring to brushing our teeth or sleeping for 8 hours.  What I am questioning is how we practice in the classroom.

Teachers work in isolation.  How do teachers really know if something is working in their classroom or not?  The only feedback teachers get are from their students and parents.  However, these stakeholders are not educators and their opinions can be easily disregarded.

Here’s a thought… try something new.  Try a new instructional method… a new project… a new assessment method.  How about trying ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING… and possibly NOT counting everything for marks and focus on the learning?

Don’t make assumptions like “it doesn’t work.”  Don’t belittle the concept by disguising ZEROS with semantics like “not handed in.”  And, don’t assume that kids don’t like it and won’t get it… THEY WILL.  You will even surprise yourself how good change is.

My suggestion… work with a colleague… banter out some ideas… try something new… reflect… adjust… adapt… and try again.  Assessment for Learning has so much to offer for the teacher and students.   I find it hard to believe that we’re not all doing it.